In Washington, by contrast, U.S. agencies have spent weeks
planning for a possible shutdown as Republicans in Congress have
threatened to withhold funding from President Barack Obama's
administration.

Congress stepped back from the brink on Wednesday, approving
a temporary spending bill to keep the government operating
through December. But experts said a government shutdown could
loom again at that time.

In much of the developed world, politicians can lose their
jobs if they fail to hammer out a budget. The United States is
the only place where government employees are sent home instead.

Most countries keep funds flowing automatically during
fiscal disputes, ensuring that day-to-day government functions
are not disrupted.

In Belgium, trains kept rolling when a political stalemate
left the country without a prime minister for five months in
2014. Even recession-wracked Greece has kept its bureaucracy
running through six prime ministers since 2012.

"Threatening a shutdown is simply not an option," said Erik
Voeten, a professor of geopolitics at Georgetown University.

Because power in the United States is divided between the
president and Congress, funding simply runs out when the two
sides cannot agree on a budget before the fiscal year ends.
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